I received an email from a reader who asked where to stay in Cappadocia.
D wrote…
“I was wondering, which town should I make my base?
Goreme, Urgup, Uchisar, or…?
Which would be the most quaint (for lack of a better word) town to stay, although, I would love to see all 3 towns mentioned and/or more if possible.
Having said that, I am also interested to see and experience the ongoings of Turkish rural life as well, as I am a photographer and would like to capture the essence of rural Turkey”
Where to Stay in Cappadocia
The answer really depends on your budget because each area has their own characteristics and type of accommodation whether it is budget, luxury, boutique etc. In all of them, you will find rural Turkey but to differing degrees.
Goreme : The Touristic Hub of Cappadocia
If you are looking for cheap accommodation, you will find that in Goreme. This town is also classed as the hub of the region because of the good transport links. There is a wide variety of restaurants and bars and it is close to the Goreme open-air museum, that is the top recommended site to visit because of its UNESCO World Heritage status. From the main bus station, you can get regular transport to the smaller villages to see more of rural Turkey because Goreme has in truth become very touristic.
Uchisar : Luxury Hotels of Cappadocia
If you have no budget, Uchisar is a quaint place to stay. It is not as busy as Goreme but it has its own attractions and great photo opportunities. On my last visit, I stayed at the Taskonaklar hotel and enjoyed wandering the small side streets, which eventually led me up to the castle.
From the castle, you will have an amazing view over the valley and on a clear day will see Mount Erceyes in the distance. I find the lack of facilities i.e restaurants and bars restricting but it is a good place if you have a car. I also walked from Uchisar to Goreme on two occasions, which took me past Panoramic View Point. If walking is not your thing, there is a regular bus between the two places.
Should you stay in Urgup?
A lot of the tour companies stay in Urgup. I stayed overnight on one visit and to be honest was a bit peeved because the restaurant I wanted to eat in, wouldn’t let me in because they were fully reserved for the groups. Other than that, it is a great town. Modern but with good transport links.
Wonder down the back streets to find the old Urgup and more rural Turkey. The area is also well known for its local wine production so arranging a visit to one of the wineries would probably produce some stunning photographs.
Ortahisar : My Favourite Place to Stay in Cappadocia
Originally I had no plans to ever stay in Ortahisar but on my last visit, found the small village to be charming and possibly in terms of rural Turkey, the best option for what you are looking for. I stayed at the Castle Inn, which is a small boutique hotel and the service provided by the owner Suat was outstanding. In terms of local knowledge, he would be a good source for your photography (See the website for Castle Inn here) and when it comes to answering the question of where to stay in Cappadocia, my recommendation is Ortahisar.
Natalie says
atThanks for your recommendation and for reading Jane
Jane says
atI stayed at Kilim Pension in Uchisar. It is delightful and the family are something else – Sisik and Papa Sisik. It is like being part of their family.
Natalie says
atLOL – thanks for the extra blog post Vicky. Don’t worry, you are not waffling on. I am sure the reader will enjoy your answer
Natalie says
atMove it to the top of your list Sofie – you won’t regret it
Vicky says
atGreat debate subject, Natalie, this can raise some lively discussion from Göremelis and Ürgüplus as each try to defend his/her corner! The old stereotypes of upmarket Urgup vs backpacker Göreme are always brought out, but that is a bit outdated now. I would say Göreme scores very highly on amazing scenery, close behind Uchisar which really has stunning views but is quiet in the evenings and dead in winter. Urgup has nothing as extraordinary in the way of landscapes but is a pleasant all-year-round market town.
Göreme has everything that tourists are looking for, with over 120 hotels for 2,200 inhabitants, it is now geared to tourism in a big way – I would have loved to have known the Göreme of yesteryear that Pat Yale describes. In my view, Urgup lives with tourism, Göreme lives from tourism. Urgup has a good selection of decent restaurants, in fact when people who live in Göreme go out to eat, they tend to go to Urgup. (For Yer Gok Ask fans, like Erica, the crew eats regularly in Zeytin restaurant in Urgup!). But it all comes down to a matter of personal likes/dislikes – I live in Urgup so I am bound to be biased!
But we shouldn’t forget places like Ortahisar or Mustafapasa – both are typical, quaint villages still unscarred by mass tourism although still near all the “main” tourist sites. In fact the things to see in Cappadocia are scattered from north to south but in such a condensed area that you are never far from anywhere. Just a last thing, and I’ll stop waffling, the public bus services are in general very good – the Mustafapasa-Urgup buses for example run every half hour until 10 at night. Uchisar is a little trickier and Goreme municipal buses only run every 2 hours! The last bus from Göreme to Urgup is at 7pm – maybe to encourage tourists to stay and eat in Göreme! We don’t have a car and don’t find it a handicap getting out and about from Urgup. We did try to compile a website of our favourite places, but there are so many of them that there is still a lot of work to be done. Sorry for going on a bit and thank you for your excellent blog – your photos of places all around Turkey make me dream of travelling a lot more….
Sofie says
atI’ve only been to Turkey once with my parents and I didn’t get to see a lot of the country back then, so I’m thinking of heading back there. It’s not on top of my list, but I’ll definitely keep this post for further reference!
Natalie says
atHi Erica, Most people use Kayseri airport for the Cappadocia region
Natalie says
atHo was it staying in Nevsehir Jesse? Did you not find it to be out of the way?
Natalie says
atMount Nemrut is still on my places to visit Jennifer – Really looking forward to that
Erica says
atThank you for this post….I’m going to be in this region in April or May and wasn’t sure where to stay…..so this will be helpful.
Really (LOL) I hope to see them filming Yer Gok Ask,,,,which I follow here with my Turk husband.
Where is the airport around there….I’m coming from Izmir????
Thanks again for sharing this info. 🙂
Jesse says
atOur group stayed at the Dedeman Kapadokya hotel in Nevsehir.
Jennifer Roche says
atI stayed in Urgup. It is a small and very friendly place. I stayed in a small cave hotel The owner Omer helped me to book further trips in the area and also a very inexpensive 4 day trip south to Mount Nemrut and Sanliurfa